College World Series history

Welcome to the College World Series historical database, brought to you by Omaha.com and the Omaha World-Herald. This page is our growing home for historical information about past NCAA baseball championships, which have been played in Omaha since 1950.

You can read historical information for each year of the CWS, dating to 1947. We also created a history page for every school that has played in the CWS. Click a banner on the main page or select a team or year from these dropdown menus.

CWS Crown Best of Times for ‘Cats Coach

Series highlights

Moments after his team had presented him with his third national championship, Arizona Coach Jerry Kindall, his arm around wife Georgia, stood in the outfield grass at Rosenblatt Stadium.

Ten feet away, first baseman Todd Trafton, one of the heroes in the 10-2 Arizona victory over Florida State, talked about the two people the Wildcats respect and revere.

"He’s the greatest guy I know," Trafton said. "His wife has been like a mother to us. I hope God is with her. And I’m glad we won it for them. They deserve it."

The Wildcats won the national championship for the Kindalls, who had been through some tough times. Georgia Kindall suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Lou Gehrig’s disease.

She joined her husband in Omaha. During one of his finest moments, she was at his side, smiling as Kindall talked about his players and their accomplishments.

"I’m so grateful for these guys," Kindall said.

The Wildcats, to the man, are equally grateful for the opportunity to play for one of the most respected men in the college game.

"In the back of our minds, we wanted to win this for Coach Kindall," outfielder Gar Millay said. "There were times when he would come out to practice and we knew that he had other things on his mind.

"But every guy on this team loves him, and he loves every one of us."

Arizona’s drive to the national title, which Kindall added to the ones he won in 1976 and 1980 at Arizona, ranks with the more remarkable stories in the 40-year history of the tournament.

With his players celebrating around him, Kindall stood on the outfield grass and talked about the thrill of returning to championship throne.

"The thrill is as fresh and new as you can imagine," Kindall said. "But there’s a Wildcat spirit that was born in this club and this program that comes from Frank Sancet, and Pop McKale before him."

As he spoke, Kindall would often glance at his wife. Unable to speak, Georgia revealed her response in her eyes.

For the Kindalls, those were not the easiest of times. But that night, thanks to a group of gutty Wildcats, they were the best of times.

Most Outstanding Player

Mike Senne, Arizona

A senior left fielder from Orange, Calif., Senne batted .476 in the series with two home runs, a double and six RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in Monday's 10-2 championship victory over Florida State. His three-run homer gave the Wildcats' the lead in their 9-5 comeback victory Friday night over the Seminoles.

Senne said he will always value the outstanding player award.

"This is the biggest thrill of my life," he said. "I've never had anything like this happen to me before. It means everything to me."